When the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, I was eager to take advantage of its tablet form factor and its built-in kickstand for some serious movie and TV show binge sessions. While its 6.2-inch LCD display might not have been the most technically impressive for its time, I reckoned its iPad mini-like size would have made for a more immersive streaming experience when compared to the HTC 10 smartphone I carried in my pocket at the time.
Then, in 2025, the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 only made things worse. YouTube, one of the only video streaming apps available for the first-generation Switch, inexplicably threw up an error message upon first launch on Nintendo's successor console. I figured a swift software update would fix this compatibility error, but over four months later, I still can't use the $450 device to watch content from any of my favorite YouTubers. To my chagrin, the other two streaming services that eventually did make their way over to the original Switch -- Hulu and Crunchyroll -- also remain incompatible with Switch 2.
- 4K Capability
- Yes
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Screen
- 7.9-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution LCD, HDR, 120Hz refresh rate (4K/60fps 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution when docked)
- Game support
- Switch 2, Switch 2 Edition, Switch
- Storage
- 256GB (expandable with microSD Express cards)
- CPU
- Custom NVIDIA processor
Nintendo's Switch 2 features a more powerful chip, a higher resolution screen, and upgraded Joy-Cons.
Why is the Nintendo Switch devoid of streaming options?
I can't tell whether Nintendo is to blame, or if the streamers are the problem
All this begs the important question: why isn't there a healthy ecosystem of video streaming apps available for Nintendo's Switch and Switch 2 consoles? The original Switch proved itself with a downright massive install base, and, despite a much healthier price tag and a rather anemic set of available video game titles, reports indicate that the Switch 2 is selling like hotcakes.
Initially, I thought the problem might lie with Nintendo, a company that is known within the industry for its sometimes bizarre policies and decisions. But with YouTube, Hulu, and Crunchyroll all available on the original Switch, it doesn't seem like Nintendo is artificially limiting streaming apps from making their way to the platform or its immediate successor.
It's possible that Nintendo is discouraging streamers from embracing the Switch and Switch 2 platforms via various under-the-radar hoops that need to be jumped through, but I suspect the issue has more to do with strained business relationships with media companies during the Wii U era. The Wii U, the predecessor home console to the Switch, was packed with streaming options, and yet the console sold poorly, and presumably the streamers lost money in the process of porting over their services to the ill-fated console.
I want to watch movies, TV shows, and even jam out to music through Spotify on my new $450 hybrid console.
In any case, it's a real shame that the Switch 2 in particular is entirely lacking a streaming app ecosystem. The console offers a brilliant, large 7.9-inch laminated display, stereo speakers, a lightweight tablet form factor, and a full-width kickstand to boot. The ability to seamlessly switch between handheld, tabletop, and docked TV mode is the sort of quality-of-life addition that can add real value to the streaming app experience, much like it does with gaming. I love the idea of starting a show in TV mode and enjoying it on my couch, and then grabbing the console out of its dock and taking it with me to my bedroom all in a single, seamless motion.
To Nintendo and multimedia streaming providers alike: please bring your services to the Switch 2 platform, and please don't wait until half the console's lifespan is spent before doing so. I want to watch movies, TV shows, and even jam out to music through Spotify on my new $450 hybrid console, and I know I'm not the only one who wants to see this happen as soon as possible.